The Responsibility of Our Freedom
Notes
Transcript
Yesterday marked 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which legally severed the 13 colonies’ political ties to Great Britain.
The U.S. did not formally gain independence, of course, until the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War.
Regardless, we are celebrating 250 years of freedom as a nation today. The United States has a great spiritual heritage and we believe that, in large part due to this, our nation has been blessed abundantly by God.
The United States has been used of God to promote freedom … and the cause of Christ … around the world. Our nation has had a powerful impact, promoting the ideas of constitutional government, democracy and religious freedom for all.
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We have been a useful tool in God’s hands.
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Our scripture for today is from Isaiah 10, which is part of a larger discussion stretching from Isaiah 7-12. The historical background is that northern kingdom of Israel under King Pekah and the nation of Syria under King Rezin had joined allied together to resist the military advances of Assyria.
These two nations wanted the southern kingdom of Judah to join their coalition, but King Ahaz refused to join his neighbors against Assyria. Israel and Syria then attacked Judah in an attempt to force them to join their side.
King Ahaz was a wicked king, but God sent the king a message through the prophet Isaiah that God would deliver him from Israel and Syria, and gave him the sign of Immanuel, a child who would be born of a virgin.
Ahaz didn’t want to hear from God. He sent a tribute to the king of Assyria asking this nation to attack Syria and Israel, which they did. But, instead of stopping, Assyria continued on to Judah!
In Isaiah 7-8 Isaiah prophesied that Assyria would bring devastation to Judah, but offered hope in Isaiah 9, that a Child, “Mighty God”, would be born and reign on David’s throne. This would not happen, however, before the wickedness of Israel, Judah, and Assyria was punished.
Isaiah 10 tells how the survivors of Judah would rely on God and then Isaiah 11-12 look forward to the Messiah who would establish God’s righteous kingdom worldwide.
(Richards, L. (1990). The 365 Day Devotional Commentary (p. 414). Victor Books.)
In the verses immediately preceding our text, God used the northern kingdom of Israel as an object lesson for the southern kingdom of Judah to explain what would happen if they did not turn back to him.
God judged them for their pride in thinking that their present difficulties were temporary and the nation could rebuild itself better than before (Isa. 9:8–12). He also judged them for their hardness of heart in their refusal to repent and return to the Lord (vv. 13–17).
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 38). Victor Books.
Then …
In 10:1–4, Isaiah denounced Ephraim for its injustice, especially toward the poor, the widows, and the orphans. Unjust laws and oppressive decrees robbed these people both of their meager possessions and their God-given rights (Deut. 15:7–8; 24:17–18).
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 39). Victor Books.
But in our text for today, somewhat surprisingly, God turned his attention toward Assyria, the tool he had used to discipline and judge both Israel and Judah.
Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
But he does not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few;
for he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?
Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
as I have done to Samaria and her images?”
When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
The light of Israel will become a fire,
and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers in one day.
The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
In these verses we find three crucial messages God spoke to Assyria, this tool in God’s hands, three crucial messages God also speaks to us today, both as a nation and as individuals.
1. We must understand our purpose from God, vv. 1-11.
1. We must understand our purpose from God, vv. 1-11.
Did you realize that God has a purpose for nations?
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For Assyria, God sovereignly appointed this godless nation an important and surprising task.
Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Assyria was sent by God to “spank” His chosen people.
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The sin of Israel and Judah had become so nauseating to God that he determined to use a heathen nation to teach His people the consequences of sin!
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But notice what Assyria thought about its purpose in the world…
But he does not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few;
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God sent Assyria to bring judgment upon His people for their sin, to arrest them in their downward descent and to drive them back to God.
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But Assyria determined that their God-ordained destiny was the conquest of the world.
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Can you see this in what Assyria said?
for he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?
Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
as I have done to Samaria and her images?”
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All of these prominent cities had opposed Assyria, but had succumbed to her power and might. Now Assyria was determined to continue her conquest of the world and was on the march to Judah.
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Notice something fascinating here. While Isaiah 10 tells us of God’s purpose for Assyria, nowhere in scripture do we find that God told Assyria His purpose for the nation. Assyria, as a heathen nation, did not think the thoughts of God. But the nation’s ignorance of God’s purpose does not excuse her arrogance.
God gave the nation sovereignly permitted Assyria to pursue its own ambitions, but instead of looking to God for direction, it sought to promote itself, to seek its own purposes.
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Does this make sense?
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Consider how we can apply this scripture to the nations of our world today, even our own nation.
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God’s purposes are always greater than the purposes of nations.
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Assyria pursued its own ambitions, yet God was accomplishing His sovereign purposes through them. The same God still rules over the nations today.
Scripture does not reveal a unique redemptive mission for the United States—or for any modern nation. What it does reveal is that every nation is accountable to God.
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We know, of course, that God’s great agenda in the world is the establishment of Christ’s kingdom by the salvation of men and women, boys and girls. Yet this mission is truly the task of the Church, not any nation.
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Therefore, the question is not whether America occupies a unique place in God’s redemptive plan. The question is whether our nation is pursuing righteousness. Is our nation promoting freedom? Or are we seeking greater wealth for ourselves, more power, greater glory for ourselves?
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While Isaiah’s prophecy was directed to the nation of Assyria, the principle behind it is applicable even to us as individuals because God is sovereign over every human life. God has a purpose in mind for each of us.
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A person who does not surrender their lives to Christ may never understand God’s purpose for their life.
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We are given freedom to choose to live for God or to go our own way.
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But we should also recognize God’s claim on all our lives and our accountability to Him. Therefore, we must turn to God and submit our lives to his leadership and seek His direction for life.
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As we continue studying our text, we find a second crucial message from God to Assyria at that time, but also to us as a nation and as individuals today.
2. We must understand our power only comes from God, vv. 12-14.
2. We must understand our power only comes from God, vv. 12-14.
Look at the boast of Assyria:
For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
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Basically, Assyria was claiming to be all-powerful! Did you notice her boast - “By the strength of my hand I have done it.”
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It is true… Assyria was one of the dominant superpowers, maybe the principal superpower, of that time. The other nations could not stand up against her. It had an army of over 100,000 soldiers, made up not only of its own people but also mercenaries and conscripts of the peoples it had conquered. The army had bases and outposts throughout its territories, an extensive administrative and logistical network.
The offensive arm consisted of two main components: foot soldiers and chariots/cavalry. Several types of foot soldiers existed: light, regular, and heavy infantry; bodyguards, sappers, shield bearers, and archers. The main weapons included the bow, spear, sling, and sword. The Assyrians also used spies, infiltrators, messengers, and official spokesmen. … The Assyrian army could travel as far as 30 miles in a day.
Riley, J. A. (2016). Mesopotamia, Military Organization in. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.
Surely, when various nations and cities heard the Assyrian army was marching their way, they must have been terrified. And the Assyrians were quite sure of themselves!
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The Assyrians afflicted Judah during King Ahaz’s reign, but years later during the reign of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, Assyria returned, intent on conquering the entire land.
Do you remember the arrogance of the Rabshakeh who served as Assyria’s spokesman at that time? Do you remember his blasphemy?
Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’ ”
It was in response to this blasphemy of the Assyrians and Hezekiah’s prayer that God responded by killing 185,000 Assyrians soldiers in their sleep … and fulfilled the prophecy uttered in Isaiah 10 years before.
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There is one God and one God only. Yahweh, the LORD God Almighty, HE is GOD!
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Over and over throughout history, we have seen human beings become strong, wise, wealthy… and completely full of themselves. We can recite examples of individuals and of peoples - nations. And time after time, God has proven that He alone is God.
Just a few years after the Flood, the peoples banded together to build a Tower to reach to Heaven. God confused the language and dispersed the people all over the earth.
Or consider Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, whose empire was greater than even the Assyrian Empire in its hey-day. Do you remember his boast?
and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
God humbled him, causing him to lose his mind, to be driven from civilization to eat the grass of the field and to grow claws like an eagle until this king recognized the true King of kings.
Or you may also recall King Herod Agrippa, enemy of the Church, who appeared before the people to give a speech.
On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
As we celebrate 250 years of freedom today as the United States of America, we must understand and remember that while we might have great power as a nation - while we might be THE superpower of the world - any power, authority, wisdom, strength, and superiority we might have… ONLY comes from God!
Like any other nation in the past, if we neglect to give God glory, if we exalt ourselves, we tread dangerous ground.
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There is one God and one God alone. And yes, He is jealous for His glory. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords!
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This truth is just as applicable, if not more so, for us as individuals. We may be smart, we may be strong, we may have wealth, we may even have many followers on social media! - but we are not god. Jesus is the Christ - King of kings and Lord of lords.
We face the subtle temptation in both good times and bad, whether we are unbelievers, new Christians, or long-term established followers of Christ to become proud of ourselves and to focus on living for self rather than for Christ.
It is imperative that we live surrendered to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We must follow God’s Word and God’s will always. We must seek humility and holiness. This is the way of blessing and safety.
As we continue studying our text, we find a third crucial message from God to Assyria at that time, but also to us as a nation and as individuals today.
3. We must understand our position before God, vv. 15-19.
3. We must understand our position before God, vv. 15-19.
In the first verse of our text, Isaiah 10:5 we read…
Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
Basically, God was saying that Assyria was his paddle, with which he was going to “spank” His disobedient children - the people of Israel and Judah!
Now, catch what God says in Isaiah 10:15
Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
Isaiah apparently liked to use the imagery of forests. He concluded this prophecy against Assyria saying…
The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
But in verse 15 the prophet asks, with irony dripping from his lips, would an axe or a saw ever speak to the person who wielded it, saying, “I’m all-powerful. Look at how I can cut down forests!”?
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No, the axe is only a tool in the woodsman’s hands.
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If the woodsman didn’t swing the axe, the axe could not cut anything. If the woodsman didn’t swing the axe properly, the axe would not be effective.
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Then notice the last part of verse 15. Isaiah repeated the imagery of a rod and staff that he used in verse 5. God was swinging the paddle of Assyria against His people. Assyria was only a tool in the hands of God.
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Like any tool in a carpenter’s shop, Assyria might be put down and not used any more. If the tool was defective, it might even be discarded.
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Assyria did not understand its place, its position, before God.
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As our nation celebrates 250 years of freedom, may God help us to understand our position, our place, before God. We have a wonderful history and heritage. Our nation has been used of God powerfully to promote freedom and even the cause of Christ around the world.
But the United States is just one of God’s tools. With this recognition, may we then humble ourselves before God. May we never see our purpose as for ourselves but rather for God’s glory.
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As individuals, may we also humble ourselves. It does not matter the spiritual heights we have achieved, the education we have mastered, the wealth we have accumulated, the physical strength we possess… or anything else. Before God we are sinful human beings, saved and changed by the grace of Jesus. May we then live, offering ourselves as living sacrifices, which is our reasonable expression of worship before the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Preacher’s Commentary divides this passage of scripture with three headings, explaining why Assyria, the tool of God, was now a candidate for God’s judgment.
The Sin of Seeking World Domination
The Sin of Playing God
The Sin of Demeaning God
Assyria did not understand her purpose before God; rather, she chose her own purpose - to dominate the world.
Assyria did not understand her power only came from God; she thought she was god!
Assyria did not understand her position before God, and so she made light of God instead of humbling herself before Him.
In God’s judgment of Assyria, we thus find a powerful truth…
Big Idea: Our freedom granted by God comes with responsibility before God.
Big Idea: Our freedom granted by God comes with responsibility before God.
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This truth is one that has challenged philosophers and theologians throughout history - the sovereignty of God and the agency of humanity. Some have resorted to unbiblical extremes. Some refuse to acknowledge that God is sovereign. They reject God and determine to be their own god. Others have swung to the other extreme, suggesting that God has determined and planned everything and we are mere puppets pulled by God’s strings.
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The truth is: God is sovereign and in ultimate control over all, but has granted us freedom to choose whether to worship and serve him or to go our own way. With our freedom comes responsibility and accountability before Him.
As we look back at history, we see that…
Assyria fell.
Babylon fell.
Persia fell.
Greece fell.
Rome fell.
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The truth is… every earthly kingdom will pass away.
But Isaiah points us beyond all earthly kingdoms to the Child who would be born… the Mighty God… the Branch from Jesse… whose kingdom alone shall never end.
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Only those who submit willingly to the lordship of Jesus and are cleansed of sin may be part of the Kingdom of God in which only Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.
How then should we apply this scripture? Consider first how you would answer these questions:
Where have you claimed ownership of what God has granted?
What are you currently trusting instead of God?
Are your plans for your immediate future in alignment with God’s kingdom priorities?
As proud citizens of the United States of America, may we as followers of Jesus Christ, citizens first of the Kingdom of Heaven, live as faithful witnesses of the King of kings before our community. May we pray for our nation to seek Jesus as Lord. May our lives influence all those around us to glorify Jesus as King!
